Vermin-trap



Oct. 27, 1953 6. F. J. DANDRIDGE 2,656,641

- VERMI N TRAP Fi.led Nov. 14; 1949 Imenlor George J. Dandmge Patented Oct. 27, 1953 VERMINTRAP George Francis John Dandridge, Loughton, England Application November 14, 1949, SerialNo. 127,028 In Great Britain J anuary 27, 1949 2 Clalms.

This invention relates to a vermin-trap of the kind in which a member when depressed, releases a catch or datent which has held back a striking-member in its stressed position, such as a spring-urged, throw-over lever mounted on a base. The invention has been more particularly designed for use in trapping mice.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a very sensitive dotent and release device for a vermin-trap. It also has for an object to provide a vermin-trap with a self-setting catch or detent which obviates the necessity for delicate simultaneous but separate manip ulation of the datent and the throw-over lever. Further objecte are to provide a vermin-trap in which the hait remains stationary so as to attract the attention of the animal without distracting or frightening it, and to provide a vermin-trap which can be baited or re-baited after the trap has been set, without thereby releasing the trap. In my improved trap, the retain ing catch or detent is automatically cocked when the striking member is brought back to its trapset position.

The invention is hereafter described with reierence to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the trap in its normal position, before setting or after release of the striking member.

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the trap, in its normal or released position.

Fig. 4 is a detail, in side elevation, showing the striking member being thrown over to engage the catch.

Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the striking member contacting the catch.

Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing the striking member fully engaged by the catch.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the integral platform, catch and connecting lever.

The base Il comprises an upper surface 12 and depenclent side walls l3, preferably having spaced feet l4 arranged to provide three-point support upon a floor or shelf on which the trap is to be laid; the upper surface [2 s pierced to provide an upstanding 1ug I5 forming the baitsupport, two shorter lugs (6 for the pivotal mounting ci a plattorm lever H, and three lugs ne for the pivotal mounting of the striking member.

The striking member is convenlently made as a U-shaped lever l9, consisting for example of stiif wire with inturned ends 20 engabging with the mounting lugs I8, one of these ends 20 being long enough to engage two of the lugs 18. The cross piece 2] of the lever I9 may have an upper fiat portion 22 thereon for engagement by the beak of the retaining catch or detent as hercafter explained and this cross-piece 21 may also have a lower fiat portion thereon where it contacts and rides down the curved top of said catch. .A spring 24 coiled around the longer end 20 of the striking member, between the two lugs l8 engaged by that end, has a hook 25 engaging one side of the U-shaped lever 19, its opposite extremity 23 engaging with the base II.

The platform lever Il is bent upwardly at each end, its intermediate portion extending along beneath the upper surface I! of the base, Which is apertured at 21 and 28 for free passage of the upwardly bent end portions 29, 33); these end portions are continued to form the depressible member or platform 3| and the stem 32 of the catch 33 respectively, the platform being substantially parallel to the surface [2 and the catch being substantially at right angles thereto.

In the construction illustrated, the improved trap is made mainly cf sheet metal, having its base il formed by one stamping and the platform 31 and catch 33 with their connecting lever il (sec Fig. 7) formed by another stamping. The said platform, lever and catch are thus of unit-ars, construction.

The lever l! has its intermediate and end portions stiffened by longitudinal flanges or ribs 34 so that it is sufliciently rigd not to flex ap preciably; otherwise the sensitivity of the catch 33 when engaging the cross piece 2| of the striking member l9 would be aiected. The detent or catch is formed With a retaining face or tooth 35 adapted to hook over the fiat portion 22 on the striking member; a light spring 36 coiled around the pivot pin 37 With one end bearing against the underside of the base Il and the other end engaged in the hollow of the central rib 34 (Fig. 2), acts to push the catch towardsthe engaging position and at the saine time to lift the platform 31.

As seen in Figs. 3 to 7, the lever Il has its central rib 34 continued up the end portion 29 and also up the stem 32 of the beak or catch 33, the side edges or fianges of which are folded together to Provide a double thickness of metal for the tooth 35 and upper part of the catch; similarly the central rib 34 is continued up the end portion 30 and partly over the platiorm 3l The top 38 of the catch 33 is outwardly curved or rounded to form a cam so that when contacted by the striking member 19, as shown in Fig. 5, while the striking member is being moved towards its starting position to set the trap, the cross-piece 21 tilts the catch 33 against the action of its spring 36 to allow the striking member l9 to engage its fiat portion 22 automatically under the tooth 35.

The trap is thus remarkably easy to set and. the automatic engagement of the parts to attain the trap-set position presents no diificulty; in setting the trap, it is only necessary to raise the striking member 19 from its normal position, shown in Fig. 3, throwing it back against the action of its spring 24, until the cross-pieCe 21 of the striking member contacts the beak (sec Fig.

) and rides down the cam top 33 of the latter bef0re slipping under the tooth 55 (see Fig. 6), the beak being then automatically spring-pressed over the cross-piece 2 l.

The bait-supporting lug l5, formed out of the metal of the base surface [2, has a central spike 39 and two oppositely-directed arms 46 projecting from the axis of the latter. The spike and arms extend up through an aperture or slot 4l in the depressible member 3|, the slot having proierably two opposite bay or notches 42 for passage of the said arms, which are then twisted to the position shown in Fig. 1, so as to overlie the platform 3l and limit the upward movement of the latter. The slot 4l is sufficiently large to avoid making contact with the hait support [5.

When the animal steps on the platform 25! at one end of the base I! the platiorm is depressed and this causes the catch 33 at the other end of the base to be displaced from its retaining or trap-set position by means of the intermediate portion of the pivoted lever Il.

It will be noted that the hait-support does not move With the depressible member or platform 3! so -that the hait remains stationary and continuously engages the attention of the animal When the latter steps or presses upon the platform.

The retaining face or tooth 35 of the catch or beak 33 retains the striking member 19 in the spring-stressed position when the trap is set, and its rigid connection to the platform ensures that it can only be released by descent of the platf0rm 3l, that is, independently of the hait-support. The trap can theref0re be baited, or if nocessary re-baited, either before or after setting.

What I claim is:

1. A vermin-trap of the kind described, comprising in combination a base, a spring-urged striking member, a pivotally mounted catch including an abutment normally engaging and holding back said striking member, a depressible member for the release of said catch, a'lever 4 extending along said base and connecting said depressible member to saidcatch, a stationary hait-support integral with said base, said baitsupport including a central spike and two oppositely-directed arms, said depressible member having a slot through which said hait-support extends upwardly, said bait-support spike having a twisted portion to position said arms obliquely of and across said slot so that the arms engage the portions of the depressible member adjacent the slot after being passecl up therethrough, and spring means for normally causing said lever to lift said depressible member and bring said Catch to the engaged position of said abutment for holding back said striking member, said haitsupport armslimiting the lift of said depressible member and the pivotal movement of said catch. and said catch also including a surface overridden by said striking member in the setting of. the trap for rocking said catch from its position limited by said bait-support arms against the action of said spring means prior to the engagement of said abutment With said striking member.

2. A accuse-trap o-f the kind described, comprising in combination a base, a spring-urged striking member, a catch normally engaging and holding back said striking member, a pivot-pin for said catch mounted upon said base towards one end thereof, a depressible platform towards the other and. of said base, said platform having an aperture therein, a. lever extending along said base, said lever being integra1 With said catch and platform and including longitudinal stifiening ribs, a stationary bait-support mounted upon said base and extending freely upwards through the aperture in said platform, and a torsion spring coiled arcund said pivot-pin, said spring having two projecting ends, one of said spring ends bearing against,said base and the other of said spring endS extending -into one of the stifiening ribs of said lever.

GEORGE FRANCIS JOHN DANDRIDGE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Numher Name Date 580,861 Hall Apr. 20, 1897 645,589 Erickson Mar. 20, 1900 690,970 Lewis Jan, 14, 1902 1,011,605 Folks .1 Dec. 12, 1911 1,405,229 Kopke Jan. 31, 1922 2,031,520 Zahm Feb. 18, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Numcer Country Date 41,561 Sweden Nov. 8, 1916 383,051 Great Britain Nov. 10, 1932 600,323 Great Britain Apr. 6, 1948 744,730 France Jan. 26, 1933 

